A Return to Awe
Snow Day in Roanoke, Virginia
It’s that time of year when the hustle and bustle has just started to shift into 3rd gear. For some of us, our clutches are already slipping. Divine Intelligence sees us and gives us a tremendous gift: a snow day. We’re given the opportunity to downshift on a Friday, blessing some needy souls with a much needed 3 day weekend in their own homes with their own coffee.
This time of year, we often complain about winter weather, because it slows us down when we are trying to check so many things off “the List”. The List that completely rules our lives, controlling the thoughts and actions of hard working human doings everywhere. However, if we look at the “mess” outside our doors from our inner child’s eye, we will return to awe. I miss awe. It is that magical emotion felt regularly by kids and kids at heart.
Awe tells us by the way the snow crunches under our feet that this is a perfect day to make snow angels. Awe whispers to us, “If you go out now while it is still snowing, you can catch snowflakes on your tongue while you are spreading your wings.”
For animal lovers, it is the quadrupeds in the family that often remind us of the awe of a snow day. Today our dogs will not be able to hide the excitement in their bodies when they see and smell and touch and lick the first snow of the season. The awe is even more palpable in our young dogs who are seeing their very first snow.
Today, when I get to the barn, I will not be surprised to see that my mare spent the night catching snowflakes on her eyelashes, rather than stand in the run-in eating the overstock of hay left for her last night. She wants no part of a blanket in bad weather. The snow cleans her coat and replenishes the balance of her skin’s ecosystem. She knows that, because she is connected with the rhythm and magic of nature in a way that we mere bipeds will never fully understand. That is the essence of awe; never fully understanding but being inspired anyway. Today, let’s have a second cup in our pjs, then look around for moments to feel and share awe with the ones we love.